Kiddo, We've Got Unfinished Business
by Sailor-Sutty
Summary: Sequel to Undercover at Arkham:CWWTJ. Circe thinks her life has gotten easier with her new job and the Joker locked up in Blackgate but she still has a lot of explaining to do. But will the Joker listen or has he something else he wants to discuss?
1. Chapter 1

_**Hey guys! Ok so here we go, I hope you guys like it! This is sorta an introduction chapter and there will be more soon. Thank you to everyone who added the previous story to their faves and whatnot, I love you all! :D **_

___**-Sailor**_

3 years later:

I glanced at my degree framed on my wall. I had done it, finally! All those late nights doing work and going to the MCU at ungodly hours of the morning had finally paid off. I now had my law degree so I could progress into my legal career but after a lot of thinking I had decided to stay at the MCU and see how things progressed there before I made a huge career change. Besides I liked my job now, I was no longer a small fish in a big pond. I was up there with the big boys now. I even wore a suit to work, a suit! How grown up was I? No longer did I come in my college clothes, I looked like a professional cop, for once.

I threw on my suit jacket, grabbed my coffee and mp3 player and strolled down to the train station to start my daily commute to MCU. I shoved my ear phones in and switched to the radio listening to Morning Gotham. There was an election coming up and there was going to be a debate this morning with the candidates. I sipped my coffee and waited for the train. The sun stretched through the cloudy, crisp day that was forming but it wasn't warm enough for me to remove my jacket. I didn't like taking my jacket off anyway unless I had a vest underneath my shirt. As I stood there, I noticed Christmas spirit was in the air already, even if it was November and you could see that even standing at a train station at 7.45am. I watched the train approach just at the debate was starting. My commute normally takes about 30 minutes to get right into the centre of Gotham. After the…unpleasantness a few years ago, I had moved to the outskirts of the city, I no longer felt I could live in the centre of Gotham. But I liked it, the air was fresher, the streets were quieter and the Batman never flew around suburban areas at ungodly hours of the night. The commute didn't bother me, I watched other commuter's huff and puff over their morning papers when the train would stop and stall. I didn't get worked up about things like that, there was no point you couldn't do anything about it. And I suppose after what I've been through, a little stall at a stop is a pleasure; my time in Arkham certainly made me appreciate the little things in life. The candidates were introduced and were eased in with a nice question. But by the time I got to work, they were shouting at each other trying to get each one to stop talking, but in true political nature, you couldn't shut any of them up. I yanked out my earphones as I walked in the door. I greeted the security man and the lady dusting around. I always felt sorry for those guys; no one ever asked them how they were, people just walked by them as if they weren't there. I walked over to the elevator and pressed the button for my floor. The door opened revealing a busy office, the hustle and bustle never ceasing. It wasn't even 8.30 yet; most people were still on their way to work. But here, work never stopped. Gordon walked by with a file in his hand and mumbled hello. I said hello back and walked over to open my office for the day.

At around lunch time, I was enjoying a sandwich at my desk (yes we eat at our desks, that's how dedicated we are) when Gordon strolled in, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"Hello Circe, how are you today?"

"I'm good" I said trying to swallow the bite I had taken from my sandwich before he asked me anything else.

"Did you hear?"

"About?"

He turned around and closed the door.

"We've gotten word that there's a huge drug shipment coming in, this is the break we've been looking for to get Falcone"

"How do you know about it?"

"We've been tipped off"

"Ok and what's it got to do with me?"

"I need you to tag along"

"Ok"

It wasn't my first drug bust but he only ever asked other people to go if it was huge.

"Where is it?"

"Over at the docks on the other side of town"

"Is it just me heading over with the swat team?"

"No, Mr Harper is going too"

I nodded while wiping my hands on my napkin. While Mr Harper respected me more since my promotion and my undercover work we still butted heads occasionally. I don't know why but we just didn't get on at all.

"What time we leaving at?"

"Three o' clock"

I glanced at my watch, it was just coming up to half one.

"Ok I can do that"

Gordon smiled and turned to walk out leaving me to finish my lunch. I sipped my coffee and looked out the window behind my chair. The sun shone in and warmed the entire office. I got up and leaned against the glass, it was a sunny but misty afternoon, but through the mist I could make out the outline of Arkham Asylum in the distance. It gave me a shiver but hearing the voices outside talking made me feel safe. I heard a horn of a ship in the distance coming from the direction of Gotham Bay which caught my attention. I looked over just as the mist shifted slightly revealing the pointy, spiralling towers of Blackgate Penitentiary. But now I didn't feel safe at all, even with everyone talking outside. I could see him in my mind, his voice, his look… _"They all had plans for you! All of them! But I stopped the__m! You had no idea how dangerous that place was for you kiddo!"_ His words echoed through my brain as Blackgate went blurry in my vision. But it had been years and not a word…not a peep, nothing, nathan, nada. Everyone just seemed to forget about him, except me. Maybe he was happy at Blackgate, I had overheard at the water fountain one day that Harley had been moved to Blackgate, after she was deemed sane but with time left on her sentence so maybe they resolved their many issues and were happy to live there. I doubted this highly but the thought of that calmed me down. My thought process was interrupted when I heard a scream from outside my office. I spun around, panic rising in my stomach but saw it was just a girl who was clearly a prostitute getting let out after a night in the cells and was still stoned. I threw myself into my chair and held my head in my hands. I blinked hard and shoved the thoughts out of my head and concentrated on my work.

I sat staring out the window as we crossed Gotham Bridge to get to the other side of the city. Mr Harper flicked through the radio stations using the button on his steering wheel, grumbling that there was nothing good on. We were following the swat van and I giggled to myself wondering if they were having the same problem. When he finally settled on a station he decided to tell me what the deal was with this sting.

"You just stay behind me" he grunted rolling up his sleeves.

I rolled my eyes; clearly he wanted the kudos for this.

"Fair enough"

"If I need you, I'll call"

"Ok"

He glanced at me as if wondering if I was being sarcastic or not. Normally I am not this accepting when he tells me to do something.

We got to the other side of the city and turned right towards the docks. I got an eerie feeling seeing Blackgate come closer into view. We pulled up outside the back of the warehouse and the swat team opened the back of the van and Mr Harper and I got out of the car. They told us they had someone wearing a wire so when they make the deal we move in. We waited around for the informer to give the signal when the code word was whispered and the swat team moved in with us behind them. I followed Mr Harper as the swat team took advantage of their surprise and shock by rounding them all up. While we were there more vans arrived to bring them to the MCU, turns out there was more there than had been expected. The last of the drug buyers were handcuffed and brought out to the van. Mr Harper came over to me and told me to search one side of the building to make sure no one else was hiding, he'd search the other. I took my gun out of my holster and walked up the creaky stairs. I stood at the side of the door of the room overlooking the warehouse floor. I pulled the door handle and opened it revealing darkness. I flicked on my torch and held my breath listening for any signs of life. I tip toed around the room but there was no one here. I looked out the window and saw Mr Harper through the dusty window on the other side walking back down the stairs. Obviously there was no one over there. I took one last glance and walked towards the door. But then I thought I heard someone whistle from the other side of the room. I spun around shining the light in that direction but saw nothing. Then it came from the other corner, but there was no one there either. I flicked the torch from each side of the room, nothing. I was just about to leave when I heard a faint creak. I flashed the torch over to my right and screamed seeing a white face peering at me in the darkness. I tripped over a box behind me and fell accidently dropping the torch. Mr Harper appeared seconds later helping me up.

"What's wrong?"

"There's…someone" I stuttered pointing to the corner.

Mr Harper shined his torch where I pointed and there was no one there.

"Are you sure there was someone there?"

"Yes! Now would you check around please!" I sneered.

He got up and searched everywhere, behind all the boxes and came back shaking his head. "There's no one there"

"Maybe they left" I squealed.

"I don't think so, the only way out of here is through that door" he said signalling towards the door beside us. "And you would have seen them leave; maybe it was your imagination"

I nodded but I knew I wasn't imagining it, I knew what I saw but I was hoping if I agreed with him we could leave. He helped me walk down to the car and drove back to MCU. Gordon came up straight away to congratulate us on the successful sting but then saw my face.

"What's happened?"

"Nothing" I snapped.

"She thought she saw someone standing in the room over the warehouse"

Gordon stared at me and I knew what he was thinking.

"Did you?"

"It was probably just my imagination" I shrugged.

"Ok…Mr Harper there's a file on your desk I'd like you to take a look at" he said nodding in the direction of his desk. Harper nodded and walked over. Gordon led me to a chair and got me a glass of water.

"Do you think it was…" he said his head bobbing urging me to respond before he had to say his name.

"It was probably nothing" I said gulping the water.

"Did it look like him?"

I nodded.

"Ok, I'm gonna get a guard to stay outside your building"

"Look there's no need for that, I was probably just spooked"

"Are you sure?"

"Yea it's fine, it's unlikely he'd bother after all this time" I said desperately just wanting to get back to my desk and go back to normal work.

"Ok but if you need something you know where I am"

I got up and went back to work for the rest of the day constantly looking over my shoulder.

On my commute home I was wary of every single person that got on and off the train. I moved every time someone sat beside me and sat on another seat away from everyone. I couldn't wait to just get home and get away from everyone. I switched all the locks and pulled down all the blinds as soon as I got home. I poured myself a neat whiskey and gulped it down to calm my nerves. I threw myself on the couch and turned on the TV trying to forget what happened that day. But I couldn't forget it; the pale face was etched into my mind. But it wouldn't be him surely. It's been three years, why now? Nah, it was just because I had seen Blackgate today and I was thinking about him. That was it, sure it was the Joker, and after what I had done to him, if he were out, he would have done a lot more than whistle in the darkness, right?

That night, I pulled my night mask over my eyes and concentrated on getting a good night's sleep. It didn't feel like I had been asleep for that long but a noise coming from my bathroom had woken me up. It was like someone was pulling my shower curtain. I pulled my eye mask up and got out of bed. I flicked on the light in my bathroom and saw nothing except my own reflection in the mirror. I switched the light back off and returned to bed. I pulled my eye mask down again and shifted to get comfortable, but then I heard what I thought was a giggle from the hallway. I pulled the covers over my head and whimpered to myself.

"Leave me alone" I whimpered into the duvet. Then everything went quiet again. That was the last noise I heard that night.

The next morning, my alarm woke me up and I reluctantly opened my exhausted eyes. I pulled off my eye mask and crawled out of bed. My head had been filled with thoughts and memories all through the night after those noises and I had gotten about an hour's rest. I did my usual routine, without my usual excitement for the coming day and got to the train, except I had forgotten my coffee. This was going to be a bad day I could feel it. I sat on the train listening to the news on my mp3 when someone opening a broadsheet caught my attention. It covered his top half and I don't know why he had caught my attention, I think it was the way he held the paper and folded his legs. I looked away as he turned the page, instead staring at the horrible graffiti that was all over Gotham's walls. I heard the flick of the paper as he turned another page. I glanced briefly and caught a look at his face as he flipped the page. He looked pretty average I gotta say. I went back to looking out the window, unimpressed by what I saw behind the paper. I suppose I enjoyed the image I had created in my head of what he looked like more than the reality. I glanced again as he closed the paper over to grab the next page and just over his shoulder, I saw a head turn revealing a white face that winked at me. I screamed jumping from my seat causing the other passengers to jump, stare and move away from me. I composed myself and walked down to the seat behind the man with the newspaper but no one was there. I walked back through an ocean of snarls and whispers. I sat down and calmed my breathing. At every stop people got off and stared to see if I was going to do something else crazy. Ok, obviously I was letting my imagination run wild. If he was out, surely someone else would have seen him on the train, I mean it's not like he can hide in a crowd. I got off at my stop glancing over each shoulder to make sure no one was following me. Of course no one was following me, I was just being paranoid. I got to the MCU and everything was normal.

"Anything strange?" I asked Mr Harper.

"No, just the usual" he said flicking through a filing cabinet.

"Any break outs? Robberies?"

"No…" he said eyeing me suspiciously.

"Just making sure" I smiled

He shook his head and went back to his filing cabinet. I got a drink of water and went into my office. I sighed loudly and sunk into my chair. Ok this morning was nothing, just my imagination.

The rest of the day was pretty standard; I pushed my horrible train experience that morning to the back of my head and focused on work. But the idea of getting the train home didn't settle with me at all. So as my day wound down and I was left with no paper work I accepted the idea that I would have to go home eventually. I walked out of the MCU clutching to my files. It was coming into winter so it was only 5.15 and the streets were already dark. I looked up and down the street watching the other commuters at bus stops and walking swiftly towards the train station. I told myself that I wouldn't let my imagination scare me so I started walking towards the train station. But then I heard gasps and whispers coming from all around me. I glanced around and they were all looking towards the sky. "Must be trouble" they whispered to each other. A blurry light shone through the clouds, the bat signal. Something inside me told me getting the train home was not an option. So I ran to the sidewalk and hailed a taxi. The driver flicked his cigarette out the window before grunting "Where to?"

"Rosewood apartments" I panted glancing out the back window at everyone staring up at the sky. I sat back and breathed a sigh of relief.

By the time we got to Rosewood, there was 65.50 on the clock but I didn't care, I was just happy to be home in the suburbs and away from that city.

"Which entrance is it?" said the driver as we got to the gates. The complex was so big that there were two separate gates, one leading to the block with apartments 165 to 545 and the other one which lead to apartments 546 to 765.

"The left one, 546 to 765"

He drove around, past the green to the middle of the complex.

"Just here is fine" I said grabbing my stuff and stepping out. I threw him 80 dollars to which he thanked me before putting it in his breast pocket. But he didn't drive away straight away which I found slightly unsettling. I walked up the stairs and wriggled my key in the door before stepping in. I threw my files, my bag and my jacket on the couch and walked into the kitchen to make myself some tea. I walked around my apartment, checking each room just in case. There was no one there, of course there wasn't but I just wanted to make sure. I turned on the TV waiting for the Gotham evening news to find out what the trouble was in the city. But nothing came up, must have been nothing, either that or they hadn't figured out what was the problem was yet. I switched the news off and turned on trash TV instead. The rest of the evening was pretty uneventful; I fell asleep watching the TV and woke up, got something to eat and then went to bed. I pulled my eye mask on and moved around to get comfortable in the bed. Ever since I had gotten out of Arkham I had never again taken my bed for granted, so I bought the most expensive one they had and a mattress that suits my weight and height. I woke up at about 4a.m. to switch off the heating. The place was like a furnace. I crawled back into bed but something didn't feel right. Something in the room had moved…it was the duvet. I had thrown it off me when I got to switch off the heating and now it was pulled up at the pillow and appeared to be smoothed out. I felt panic beginning to bubble inside me as I looked around the room frantically. I felt around on the wall for the switch and flicked it covering the room in light. Nothing, did I pull it up when I got up? No I didn't, I know I didn't. I lay back down but decided to leave the eye mask off just in case. I woke up the next day just as tired as the other days. I crawled into my bathroom and flicked on the light. Something caught my attention as I glanced at myself in the mirror. I had a red mark on my forehead. I switched on the tap and started to scrub it with a face cloth, panic bubbling in my stomach.

"Now sweetie, that is not good for your beautiful skin" I heard a giggle.

My heart stopped dead in my chest.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Hey guys! Hope you enjoy this and I shall see you next chapter :) love you all!**_

___**-Sailor**_

"Well look at you, you're all grown up and shooting bad guys...and in a suit!" he smiled, waltzing over to me. He was wearing the same clothes he was wearing the last time I saw him. I backed away hitting the sink, the water splashing against my bare skin as he approached.

"I guess being a snitch will get you higher up the food chain and by the looks of you, the food chain has been very plentiful" he grinned poking my stomach. "Honestly I preferred you when you were all bony and gaunt, but then some like them big, some like them ratty" he giggled "Well done with that by the way, creating a successful sting to catch one of Gotham's most dangerous criminals" he smiled stroking his chin.

"Look I didn't know what they were going to do" I lied. Well what else was I going to say? I knew it sounded ridiculous but I figured it would have been worse if I had said nothing at all.

"You know what I loved the most?" he said tapping his chin, ignoring my comment. "I loved the lengths you went to, you actually let me carve your skin knowing full well within a matter of weeks, the jig would be up and I would have found out what you are and you would be left with this horrible physical and mental scar forever" he smiled.

A shiver ran down my spine each time he smiled. I think if he had of arrived in a rage and slit my throat then and there I wouldn't have been so scared but it was the fact he was just standing there talking as if we were still back at Arkham. I suddenly got a flashback of the night he took me to his poker game, and something in my brain hurt.

"Look I get it, the corrupt city we live in, average Joe cops have to do whatever they can to go higher in ranking…" he continued to talk as I got more and more flashbacks. Everything I had locked away in a dusty chest in the back of my mind was suddenly open and spilling out before my eyes.

"I don't know why I didn't see it coming, they all said it, everyone" he said starting to pace up and down alongside my bathtub.

"But it's been three years…" I suddenly blurted out. Even after three years I hadn't learned to keep my mouth shut.

That seemed to stop him dead in his tracks. He sauntered over and placed his gloved hand over my mouth.

"I wanted to make you sweat" he sneered. "Do you think I've been unaware of everything you've been doing? Do you not think I saw your little TV interview where you felt you had nothing to say to me? While I was locked up in that hellhole! Have you ever been?" he then chuckled to himself "Of course not officer Circe"

The fact he said my name freaked me out more than anything else he has ever said.

"I honestly thought you were going to just be sent back to Arkham for a longer sentence, I had no idea that Gordon had planned for you to go to Blackgate I swear Mistah J" I lied again. I don't know why I felt the need to stress the point that I had no idea what was going to happen. Even if he even entertained the notion that I was telling the truth he going to kill me anyway despite what I've said, and then a thought occurred. I realised I had been living my life constantly looking over my shoulder for the past three years and now that he was finally here I felt a slight bit of relief, but it was short lived. Just as he did in Arkham, he had me pinned against the wall within seconds sneering horrible, and I hate to admit to it, truths about what happened that night.

"And everyone was laughing at me! I bet they're all still sitting there in Arkham, probably the talk of poker night…" as usual his ego takes pride of place.

"Mistah J, I am sorry for what happened that night, the time after you were sent away it would eat me up inside and I've wanted to apologise for a long time" I said when I could eventually get a word in.

He bent his head to the side like a dog and I watched his eyes dart back and forth between my own. I don't think he was expecting that from me.

"You're not sorry" he growled. "Those people who used to fear me and would never cross me, they don't fear me anymore! They're all laughing at me! And when people laugh at you they don't respect you! But I think the worst part is that…" he paused for what seemed like forever. "You successfully managed to get me to…to get me to rely on you even after you nearly gave it away so many times. I mean Harley, well Harley is an idiot but she would at least never do that…to be working alongside the Batman" he said through gritted teeth.

While he ranted on I scanned the room for potential weapons and a way to get out…but even if I did get out he'd still hunt me down, I know he would so I swallowed the lump in my throat and waited for him to take a breath.

"Mistah J please, I know you're going to kill me so could you please just do it now?" I whimpered, his guilt trip really laying hard on me.

He leaned back as if someone had just shot him in the stomach.

"Kill you? I don't want to kill you" he said seeming to be taken aback by what I said. Did he just say that? He's just as confusing as ever. "No, no, no, no, no…well yes at first I wanted to kill you. I would lie there in the middle of the night dreaming of cutting off each one of your limbs and keeping the head for myself…" he trailed off. "But then I started to think…and eventually saner heads prevailed"

"Saner?" I whispered to myself, but of course he heard.

"I don't know how you got this far, you still can't help but run your mouth just like back in Arkham" he giggled. "But no killing you is not on my agenda right now"

"Then what are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to check in, that's all"

I eyed him suspiciously. Of course I'm not that naïve as to think he was just checking in.

He looked at the invisible watch on his wrist and furrowed his brow.

"Well babes it looks like I gotta go, places to go, people to see"

"How did you get out of Blackgate?"

"Ah the big bad wolf does not tell little nosy girls his secrets" he grinned tapping my nose.

He rubbed my head in a patronising way and fixed his hair in the mirror.

"What are you going to do?"

"I can't tell you that!" he suddenly chortled. "You're a dirty, rotten cop! No, no, no, no, that ship has sailed sweetie!"

That really hurt I must say.

"Why did you come here, and don't tell me you were just checking in because we both know that's bullshit"

He looked me dead in the eye. "Well you've gotten brave all of a sudden, must be the cop thing. Hiding behind your badge, I'm telling you there is no one more full of shit than a cop, except a cop on TV"

Once again he had managed to avoid the question completely.

I clenched my eyes shut; I knew this was going to be bad for me. He had something planned and I had no way of finding out what it was.

"Awh sweetie, don't worry I wouldn't hurt you, now that I have someone on the inside. I'm always 3 or 4 or even 6 steps ahead of those pigs anyway but…" he said sauntering closer to me "you'll be my ace in the hole, so to speak" he winked.

"Forget it, I could lose my job and my career as I know it would be over! Everything I have worked for just gone."

"Is that what you're worried about Bunky?" he said pouting his lips.

"Eh yea"

"Look this is all very interesting but I have to run, I know you like to think the universe revolves around you but it doesn't. I have a lot more people I need to visit" he smiled walking out of the bathroom. Just as I had taken a breath of relief, he popped his head around the door.

"O and lay off the donuts, you're getting a serious belly and I can't handle a girl that thinks having two chins is appropriate and that look really doesn't suit you babe" he winked.

For a person who dresses the way he does and wears that kind of make-up, he's a seriously judgemental person. But I'll give him credit. He certainly knows how to get in your head, for the rest of the night I stared at myself in the mirror from different angles, weighing myself, pinching and pulling at the fat that had wrapped itself around my body.

The next morning when I was offered a donut with my coffee at work, I refused.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! New chapter here, hope you like it! Thank you to everyone who is reading and who reviews I do love hearing what you guys think. I am sorry for it taking so long but as usual my life is getting in the way which is never good but I am trying to get the chapters done as fast as possible** **so thank you for that too, and see you next chapter :) **

-Sailor

Things were surprisingly quiet over the next few days. I began hitting the gym every day after work for at least one hour. I don't know why his words bothered me so much. Here he came, just waltzed back into my life, called me fat and left and within a matter of days I had changed my whole routine. But every time I stopped on the treadmill, wiping my face while gulping water his face would flash in my mind calling me fat and I would turn the treadmill up to a higher speed. I had just about ran the legs off myself when I turned the machine off and began wiping my face when a news report flashed up on the little screens above the equipment. At first glance it looked like a small explosion. I went over and turned up the volume as sharp intakes of breath were heard from all around me as people started to realise what was going on.

"_Unconfirmed reports this is explosion at the well-known Iceberg Lounge has not caused any deaths but we must stress these are unconfirmed…"_

The Iceberg Lounge…that's the Penguins place…it had to be Joker. I pushed through the crowd and into the dressing room. I didn't want to see anymore, I already felt I knew too much even though I didn't know anything. I stepped into the dressing room that had no TV's so it was like stepping back in time by ten minutes; there was a certain calm and bliss of ignorance about everything here. I quickly jumped in the shower and scrubbed my hair. I pulled a brush threw my hair, changed and grabbed my bag and ran out of the gym into my car. I didn't turn on the radio I didn't want to know anymore. I got home and threw my gym bag in my room and pressed my answer machine.

Message one: "Hey Circe, its Gordon here. There's trouble down at the old Penguin place, we're here waiting for the blaze to go out before we go in. I'm know you're off tonight but I'm just calling you to let you know, and eh…" his voice then lowered as if he was turning away from someone "if you've had anymore…trouble so to speak? So call me back when you get this"

I let the machine blab on while I reefed through the fridge. Maybe it wasn't the Joker, I mean why would he bother going after the Iceberg Lounge and drawing attention to himself? I shook my head while gulping down a bottle of ice water. I wasn't going to think about it anymore. I sat at my desk and decided to do some paper work that was well overdue. About 3 hours into it, I heard a knock on my front door. I looked through the peephole before even attempting to open the door and found Gordon. I opened the door and was met with a pretty serious expression.

"He wants to see you" he said glancing up and down the corridor.

"Who?"

He leaned in closed. "Batman"

"Me?" I said suddenly finding my voice pitched higher than usual. "Why would he want to see me?"

He knew.

"He didn't say"

"Ok when, where?"

"Come with me, I have to drive you to the place"

I nodded and grabbed my coat as I felt my heart leap into my mouth. This was it, my whole career was going to blow up in my face because this masked bat knew I was talking to the Joker.

We pulled up outside the old train station that used to be the main commuter train into Gotham but with the booming economy, the city decided to update the whole transport system instead of just the trains. We sat in silence waiting. Gordon must have got a signal because we suddenly hopped out of the car without warning and up to an old railway cart. A figure appeared from the shadow and it was him. I hadn't seen him since he had practically told me I was working for the Joker and shook my whole belief system to the core.

"How are you getting on?" he rasped. He sounded a lot older than the last time we spoke.

"Fine" I nodded.

"Keeping your nose clean?"

I glanced at Gordon who looked slightly confused but I just nodded to move along the conversation.

"Ok here's the deal. I've heard about your little incidents…"

"You told him?" I snapped at Gordon.

"He tells me everything, you can't trust anybody in this city" he said sternly. I'm guessing that was a personal jab at me.

"And I've been wondering have you gotten any visits?"

"What? No"

There was a brief but very awkward silence.

"Why would you think that?" I said. I had to say something, the silence was deafening.

"It's just odd…you start thinking you're seeing things and then Penguin's Iceberg Lounge is blown up…it doesn't add up"

"Are you seriously suggesting what I think you are?" I snapped.

"Hey, easy now, I don't think he's saying anything he's just trying to figure out what's going on" interjected Gordon.

"Well I'm starting to think he is! I didn't come here to be accused of this shit!" once again running my mouth was the order of the day.

"Quite defensive…" whispered the flying dickweed.

"Fuck you"

"Circe chill!" ushered Gordon.

"I am fucking chilled. If you want to know what the Joker is up to, why don't you go to Blackgate huh? Why are you bugging me? I do one undercover job and suddenly I know every move he makes, I don't know a thing!"

"Fine…but if you do, you must understand that is imperative that you tell someone, me or Gordon because if he's gonna go after anyone, it's going to be you"

"Fine I will!" I said jumping out the cart. I didn't want to listen to that, even though he was right. I probably should have told them but what good would that do? So they set up a 24hour police escort. I know him; he'll still find a way to get to me somehow. I sat back in the car and waited on Gordon. I don't know why he even trusts him, he's not a cop, he's a nobody! I glared at Gordon as he sat back in.

"You know you should be more helpful when you're with him"

He was starting to talk to me like he was my dad.

"Excuse me?"

"He's a great help to us and he's keeping an eye on Joker which will probably benefit you if he has gotten out" he said starting the ignition.

"I don't know why you trust him so much! He could be anybody!"

Then he suddenly killed the engine.

"Are you ok? Has something happened because you've been acting weird for a couple of days now" he said eyeing me.

"No it's just…it's just PMS" I said staring out the window.

He didn't say another word on the drive home.

I was still furious the next day when I woke up. The two of them were practically ganging up on me yesterday as if I knew something. Well I did, well actually no I didn't. He hadn't really said anything to me just the occasional offensive remark about my weight. It was a Saturday so I could lie in for a while. I switched on the Wi-Fi on my phone and checked my Facebook. Since I got out of Arkham, I had learned to appreciate just the simple task of lying in bed on a Saturday morning and just doing nothing. After reading one or two articles that I saw my friends had read, I glanced at the time in the corner of my screen. 10.12a.m. Perfect time to get up and make a heart smart omelette to make sure I didn't contribute anymore to the inner tube I was growing around my waist with all the donuts I had been consuming. I had just folded the covers back off me when the door swung open revealing the Joker, his jacket flaying in the breeze that caught in it when the door flew across. I felt my heart actually stop beating with the fright.

"Honey I'm home!" he called loudly and shrilly.

The shock sort of wore off realising it was him but I still pulled the covers up over me despite wearing a t shirt.

"SSSH! I have neighbours…what is wrong with you?" I managed to choke out.

"Nothing" he smiled stepping into the room and looking around like he hadn't been here a couple of days earlier.

"Baby! You're looking good" he grinned, his arms outstretched as if he was approving a prize hog.

Even though I should have been highly offended and will probably set the women's movement back about 50 years with the next comment that popped into my head, I actually felt good when he said that considering I hadn't even gotten out of bed or even put any sort of make up on.

He came up and sat on the bed beside me, his gaze fixed on mine as if he was waiting for some sort of reaction.

"So what's up?"

"Nothing, I was just wondering how you were getting on" he smiled pinching the fat on the underside of my arm.

"I'm fine…have you been here all morning?"

"Yea I came in earlier but you were asleep"

Even though he had done it thousands of times in Arkham, the idea of him watching me sleep in a place I liked to think was my sanctuary was kind of unsettling…on the other hand however, like in Arkham too, I was getting used to having him around.

"So listen I know it's Saturday, and you probably have a whole weekend full of non-cop related fun or maybe it is cop related, I'm not sure just how boring you've gotten since Arkham" he sighed "but I just wanted to let you know I'm gonna be needing your help next week with something" he smiled.

"With what?"

"O, the details are not important right now…I don't want to ruin your weekend but I'm just letting you know sweetie"

He ran his gloved finger up and down my arm until I got goose bumps and he giggled. "You still get them even when I touch you now"

"Yea…but what's this stuff you're going to need help with?"

"Awh snookum's" he pouted "you're still a complete control freak needing to know everything here and now" he leaned up on his arms and kissed the top of my head which sent a shiver down my spine. "No, the details are not important right now, besides if I told you…" he said jumping off the bed "you might go tell your dirty rotten cop friends now wouldn't you?"

He waltzed over to the door, turned gave me a wink and a warning that I'm not to be cheating on the diet because he'll know when my muffin top starts spilling out over my suit trousers before departing. But it was typical Joker, even though he had given me no information whatsoever, in an attempt not to ruin my weekend, he had managed to totally destroy it anyway by doing nothing. Absolutely typical.


	4. Chapter 4

All through that weekend I rattled my brain trying to figure out what he could possibly want with me. Then another thought came into my head, should I tell Batman about it? No, that'll just make things worse. But, I really didn't want to lose my job and I needed help so after much deliberation, I knew I had to tell someone. So on Sunday night, I got a cab to the darkened building of the MCU. I looked around before opening the doors and turning off the alarm. I went up the floors until I got to the roof. I saw the infamous bat signal lurking in the shadows. I wasn't even sure how to turn it on. I felt around the dark looking for some sort of switch but then heard something behind me.

"What's wrong?"

"Did I even turn that thing on?"

"No"

"So you're just always around?"

To that question he just stood there as if waiting for me to say something.

"Ok…eh…" I started.

I looked at him and he didn't move but I wasn't sure what I was supposed to say.

"I…eh well there's something…"

"I haven't got all night"

"Fine, forget it"

"What is it?"

"Joker came to see me" I said finally giving in.

"And?"

"He said he wants me to help him with some plan next week" I blurted out.

"What plan?"

"I don't know yet, he didn't want to ruin my weekend by telling me"

"But that makes no sense…since you turned out to a cop…why would he trust you now let alone want you to help him?" he asked.

"Look, I don't know what to tell you. That's all I know"

"And this is true? You're not secretly working for the Joker and he put you up to this?"

"No this is true" I said beginning to lose my temper.

"Ok"

"So what happens now?"

"Well when he comes to you with details, I'll be watching from somewhere but I'm gonna need you to tell me exactly what he says"

"Ok…but what if he finds out I've been talking to you and he like you know kills me?"

"Hopefully that won't happen" he said before jumping off the edge of the building into the night.

"Hopefully?" I yelled after him.

Work was pretty standard; in fact that week, everything went back to being pretty standard. There hadn't even been any drug busts at the docks. We were just back to dealing with domestic abuse cases and small time robberies. Even Mr Harper was coming into my office hourly for any sort of updates or even to ask me if I wanted fresh coffee. I was pissing like a racehorse with all the coffee he was bringing me. Just as I was working on yet more paperwork, I saw people beginning to run around the office in a somewhat panicked state. Mr Harper appeared at my office sticking his head in.

"Hurry up, we gotta get over to the Narrows, there are reports of a hooker being murdered and found in the alley"

"And?" that was something that happened regularly.

"Just hurry up! This is pretty horrific"

I hopped in the car with Mr Harper as we raced through the streets to the notorious red light district. Now, I know red light districts are pretty common practise in most cities nowadays but the Narrows not only takes the biscuit, it takes the whole bakery. At night, the filth and squalor is covered by a hazy mist of neon lights, stripper glitter and apparently "up market" girls. But in the cold light of day, high rise buildings tower over the tiny streets filled with junkies and homeless people. Needles fill the ditches at the side of the road. Children as young as 13 are seen swapping needles with each other under the shadow of the apartment blocks that look like something from a prison camp. Drugs, prostitution and poverty are all these children know. They're born into it, they grow up in it, they produce more children into it and they die off. What a meaningless existence.

When we arrived, we were met with a barrage of name calling and stuff being thrown at the car. As you probably already guessed, police are not very welcome down here. We arrived at the dank alley beside the strip club and trudged through the river of needles and used condoms to where the body was thrown behind a dumpster. Rats were already starting to congregate around the body by the time we got there. The cops on the beat cleared the scene while someone rang the state pathologist to get down here as fast as he could. She looked about 19. Photos were taken and we took notes, position of the body, half slightly leaning against the wall, clothes that were worn, no shoes, black and red dancing costume type dress, etc. Mr Harper checked the body for identification, none. A bag was found at her head which was searched. While I was waiting to find out what was in the bag, a phone was handed to me and I was told it was Gordon.

"Hello?"

"Yea are you at the scene?"

"Yea why what's up?"

"I'm gonna be late I'm just sorting out some stuff but I need you to meet the pathologist and give him the scoop since I won't be there"

"Yea I can do that, it's no problem"

"How does she look?" he said dryly.

Gordon always asks it's like he's thinking 'that could be my daughter.'

"She doesn't look good, she's been beat up pretty bad, and raped, stabbed…she looks about 19"

"Jesus…"

The line went silent for a moment before I knew I had to get him out of that trance.

"So how long will you be?"

"What? O yea about another hour or so"

"Ok" I hung up the phone and gave it back to whoever handed it to me. I walked back to the body and observed Mr Harper taking more notes.

"It's disgraceful…someone really ought to clean up this town" snuffed Mr Harper.

When the position of the body was noted, the coroners proceeded to put a sheet up for when the pathologist arrives. We weren't waiting long, he arrived, the same gaunt expression on his face just like every other time we meet him. I stepped into the tent with him and went through the details with him as he nodded along. I wasn't even sure he was listening to me to be honest. He knelt down and seemed to take forever before lifting the sheet off the body. Soon after, Mr Harper arrived in and we stood in silence.

"Who called the police?" he eventually asked.

I looked at Mr Harper and he looked back at me with the same blank look I gave him.

The pathologist turned around to look at us, both as gobsmacked as each other.

"You don't know who called?"

"Well no, they didn't give a name" shrugged Mr Harper.

He shook his head and went back to observing the body.

"It's ok now, you can go"

We retreated back out the tent like two school kids leaving the principal's office.

"How can you not know who called?" I said smacking his arm.

"I don't know…"

But he was cut short. Further down the alley there was a horrendous crash. The two of us immediately reached for our guns and went to investigate. The alley broke off into two main arteries towards the streets.

"You take that side and I'll do this"

I didn't like this, the last time we split up like this I ended up nearly pissing my trousers. It was coming into the early evening so it wasn't as bright as I had wanted it to be so I switched on my flash light. Just as I took two steps into the alley I looked behind to see the outline of Mr Harper halfway down his long alley. I took another step but knew I had gone too far, I reverted back around and was met with that all too familiar pasty face.

"Hello there" he said before shoving his hand over my mouth and dragging me towards a black door that almost faded completely into the wall, I hadn't even noticed it. He opened it and pulled me inside before it slammed shut.

He pushed me up against the wall, his hand over my mouth. It was at this point I realised I had a gun in my hand and could shot him in the stomach at any point.

"How's my little cop doing?"

I was going to reply but realised my mouth was covered.

"Alright listen, remember when I said I was going to need your help? All I need you to do is use your power of authority" he smiled.

I mumbled something but then rolled my eyes.

"Promise not to scream?" he smirked.

I nodded and he moved his hand away from my mouth.

"What do you need?"

"Now before we get to business why don't you tell me the story of that embarrassing little incident that happened in the showers after hockey practice in your all-girls school"

"I didn't play hockey…or go to an all-girls school actually"

He pouted slightly. "Now you're just making stuff up"

"Me?"

"Remember the goalie asked you to wash her back after she fell in the mud and your shorts were stuck to you"

"Seriously I have to get back" I said conscious of the fact Mr Harper will notice I've disappeared.

"Ok sorry, we can talk about that later. Now…" he said straightening his suit. "I need your power of authority. What I need is a password to the files at Arkham"

"Why?"

"That's none of your business"

"Well how am I supposed to get it?"

"I have someone working on the inside, all I need you to do poppet is collect them from the back of the asylum, I'll have my guy there and you just bring them to your office and I'll collect them" he smiled.

"Why can't you do it?"

"Because they might notice me, whereas you're a respected member of Gotham's finest…for now" he grinned. "I joke I joke!"

"Ok…why can't bring them to your place?"

"Because I don't want you bringing Gotham's "finest" to my door"

"And that's it?"

"Yup, cross my heart"

"Ok I can do that…" I said slightly suspicious about how little he was asking considering what he's had me do before.

"Great, you're such a good little cop, yes you are!" he said rubbing my head like I was a child.

"So wait are you seriously saying you brought me all the way down here to ask me this?"

"Of course, well that and I needed a good distraction and what's better than a dead hooker to show just how beautiful this city is!" he grinned.

"You killed her?"

"I got my money's worth don't worry, I'm a man who likes a bargain" he giggled.

He glanced at the invisible watch on his wrist and muttered "Oops time for you to go!" before reefing me up and pushing me out the door.

"Talk to you later babe" he said before slamming the door. I glanced down and saw Mr Harper down the very end of the alley clearly not noticing I was gone. I picked myself up and hobbled towards him my mind clouded with suspicion. All he wanted me to do was to pick up an envelope and deliver it to my office…there had to be a catch…right? And of course I had to inform the Batman immediately…but it was only a small thing so maybe. I didn't have to tell him, he doesn't have to know everything. It seems kind of silly to trouble him with something so little like that doesn't it?


End file.
